The Broken Path
by Commedia
Summary: Set at end of Naruto arc 1. What if Naruto didn't return from the Sasuke retrieval mission? My version of Naruto Shippuden. Rated T for violence. Please review.
1. Chapter 1: Tears

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Tears**

It was raining in Konoha village. It was raining on the day everything changed.

_Does the rain symbolize tears? If so, why aren't there more? Did only we love him?_

Haruno Sakura sat in a window of the Hokage's main administration building, watching the rain fall and grieving for those who would never return to her side. She wept knowing that the two people she loved most in the world fought each other because of what she had done. Because of her, one had died.

She had heard Kakashi's report through the Hokage's office door. It was a mark of how shaken up the two were that they hadn't noticed her until she fell against the door when her legs gave out. Tsunade had knelt down and tried to enfold Sakura in an embrace, but she had run down to a lower level and locked herself in a room where she had cried her eyes out. She had tried to not hear it, she had tried to forget it, but Kakashi's report would forever resonate within the confines of her soul.

_Hatake Kakashi stood in front of the 5__th__ Hokage rigidly with eyes full of sadness. Sakura was hidden outside the slightly open door. "Godaime Hokage-sama, I followed Naruto and Sasuke's trail to the Valley of the End where I observed two Akatsuki members leaving the scene. I was unable to determine their identities. Upon closer inspection of the site I discovered that Naruto and Sasuke fought a long battle in that area. I then confirmed via Pakkun that the two forehead protectors left on site were in fact Naruto and Sasuke's. What Pakkun also divined was that Sasuke had left in one direction and Akatsuki in another, and there is no indication that the two came into contact with each other."_

_Tsunade placed her hands on the desk and looked directly at Kakashi. "What of Uzumaki Naruto? Were you able to locate him? "_

"_I could neither find him nor…nor his corpse. From what Pakkun has told me, he lay seriously injured near where the forehead protectors were left. The blood we found confirms it. If he left that spot, he was moved by another power and not on his own steam."_

_Tsunade gripped her desk tightly. She knew the answer but couldn't help asking the question anyway. "Can we then assume that he has been taken by Akatsuki?"_

_Kakashi looked down at the floor. "……Yes."_

_Tsunade gripped the desk harder. "Is there any possible way to track them from the site?"_

_Kakashi looked out the window at the deluge. "Water washes away all sins…or at least scent trails. It's impossible to track either party at this point."_

_Tsunade's fingers began to make indentations in the wood. "So he is dead then…"_

_At this point Sakura's legs gave out in shock and she fell down, causing both Tsunade and Kakashi to turn in shock toward her. They had called to her as she ran, but she couldn't hear them anymore. All she heard was the beating of the raindrops against the windows._

Sakura remembered Naruto's promise to her at Konoha's gates, believing that her selfish wish had not only failed to bring back Sasuke, but killed the one person who would have done anything for her. Crying and holding herself, she silently screamed for Naruto or Sasuke or anybody to tell her it was alright, everything would go back to the way it was. No one came.

Kakashi Hatake felt broken. He had begged the Godaime Hokage to send out a search party in the faint hope that he could track akatsuki. He knew there was no chance at all, with the trail this cold, but he felt compelled to do something, anything at all to alleviate his guilt. He knew that it would have been suicide to take on two akatsuki, but he wanted to be able to make a difference this time. Obito, Rin, his sister, his father, his master, he had failed them all. He cared for his students; he had watched them grow stronger in the year that he had taught them. He had failed them too. Naruto is dead, Sasuke has gone over to Orochimaru, and Sakura has fallen into grief. Because he is Hatake Kakashi, he feels as though the pain will rip him apart. But because he is Hatake Kakashi of the Hatake clan, ex-ANBU, and jounin of the hidden leaf, he will put himself back together, control his emotions, and do his duty.

Tsunade walked down the hall to a room where she knew Sakura would still be grieving. She grieved as well, for the third person she had sent off on a mission with that cursed necklace. Tsunade thought Naruto had broken the curse by winning it from her, but she had been wrong again. She paused in front of the door, not knowing if she even had the right to console the girl. _No, she wasn't a "girl" anymore. Not after this. I wasn't._

The sound of the door opening brought Sakura's head up slowly. She saw the Godaime Hokage standing in the doorway with an inscrutable look on her face. Tsunade stood silently for a moment, shut the door quietly and sat down. Thinking that Tsunade would offer words of consolation and really not wanting to hear them, Sakura lowered her head slowly and began, "Tsunade-sama I don't need…"

"I'm not here to offer empty words that would not fill your loss. I'm here to make you an offer." Tsunade finished.

Looking up sharply in surprise and confusion Sakura blinked. This was not what she had expected.

Tsunade, noticing her surprise, continued. "Sakura, I would like you to become my apprentice."

If anything, Sakura was more confused. "Why…why me? Why now?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade looked at her with all seriousness. "The reason I ask this of you is because you possess the two most important things required for an outstanding medic ninja. You have precise chakra control, and perhaps even more importantly, a reason to keep fighting."

"My reason…what? I don't know…"

"Only you can know what your reasons are for fighting. I can give you the means to carry out your goals if you train under me. I'm not saying it would be easy, but you will be able to settle some accounts."

"You mean revenge?"

"If those are your goals, then yes."

"It isn't. Sasuke's reasons are not mine"

"What is your raison d'etre then?"

Sakura frowned, concentrating. "I don't know what my reasons are."

"But they exist?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll help you find them Sakura. I ask again, will you be my apprentice?"

"Yes."

There was silence between them and the only sound that could be heard were the sounds of raindrops falling.

"Well then," Tsunade said, standing up straighter and becoming much stricter, "you will report to my office at dawn tomorrow."

Sakura looked up sharply, shocked. "So soon?"

Tsunade, with her hand on the doorknob, not turning to face her said, "I've had to learn, Sakura, just as you will; that the most expedient way of dealing with pain is to work so hard you don't have time to think about it. With any luck, I might be able to keep us both working that hard."

Tsunade opened the door and left, walking toward her office. Sakura stared at the door long after the Godaime left, contemplating her words. She thought about what Naruto would do in her place. _He would move forward, I'm sure of it. I can't stop now._ Sakura slowly stood up and looked out the window. The rain had slowed, but the clouds were not leaving anytime soon.

Tsunade walked back to her office thinking. _It sometimes seems to me that the name of Hokage is cursed. Those who covet it fall in some of the worst ways imaginable. Shodaime and Nidaime fell before their dreams could become reality, Sandaime was killed by his own student, the man he'd hoped would succeed him, and Yondaime died leaving his infant son with both blessing and curse upon him. Am I cursed as well? To watch Nawaki, the Dan, and now Naruto, all who desired the name, all who were killed because I gave them my blessing? Maybe I can yet make a difference. All I know is, if I stop moving forward, nothing will change, and nothing will end._

The Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure Village walked into her office and began to work.

On the border of the Fire Country, a silver-haired man watched over a priceless treasure, a treasure that no one but him knew existed still.

* * *

This is my first Fanfiction. Please read and review. Constructive criticism is appreciated. 

-Commedia


	2. Chapter 2: 5 Years Later

Disclaimer: I do not own Nauto.

* * *

5 Years Later

_It's almost funny,_ Sakura surmised, _that I would be in this position without any of those I called my comrades with me._ Sakura lay bruised and broken as she lay facedown in the dirt next to the small river that ran through Akamatsu forest, having dragged herself as much as she could from the river after she had fallen in during the horrific battle she had only escaped from by the skin of her teeth. _We all went our different ways I suppose, I to the medical brigade, Kakashi-sensei returned to lead the ANBU, Sasuke to Orochimaru, and Naruto…. Maybe Naruto suffered the least out of all of us._ She remembered when Kakashi-sensei had gave her the two boy's headbands; Naruto's still glossy from his frequent polishing, Sasuke's scratched down the center.

Three years after Sasuke had left Konohagakure village, Sakura had been accepted into the medical brigade of the Konoha shinobi after undergoing Tsunade's training from hell. She was accepted into the brigade at the age of fifteen, a prestigious honor for one so young. Shortly after she joined the medical brigade however, war had broken out with the Iwagakure ninja village. War had broken out when Danzou, the leader of the ANBU ROOT squads was brutally murdered while attempting a negotiation and his corpse put on display at the borders of the Fire and Rock countries. Almost as soon as they had begun, peace negotiations had disintegrated and shinobi from both countries had begun throwing themselves at each other. While the Hidden Grass village supported Konoha, the Hidden Waterfall village sided with Iwagakure. Kumogakure remained neutral, but because of past conflicts and assassination attempts, the border was watched extremely carefully by Konoha.

Kakashi had been drafted into the ANBU at the very beginning because of a need for experienced commando leaders and because he was an ex-ANBU captain. Two years later, Kakashi was appointed as the head of all ANBU units, answerable only to the Hokage herself. The name "Copy Ninja Kakashi", already feared and respected had garnered an even more incredible amount of prestige amongst enemies and allies alike.

Akatsuki had been thriving since the war began. The members of Akatsuki, under cover of war, had been able to move relatively unhindered and unopposed. The lack of a united front by the shinobi countries against them allowed them to successfully capture four jinchurikki, the 2-tails and 3 tails among them. They had made an attempt to capture the new Kazekage, Gaara of the Desert, but they failed only because of the Kazekage being retrieved by his siblings at the last second. Sakura was amongst those sent to ascertain the situation of the Kazekage. Sakura helped with Gaara's medical treatment, but Gaara had been soundly beaten, due to his protection of the citizenry. All shinobi of the Sand took this to heart in one way or another. Some were reassured that their Kazekage was a kind individual who loved his citizens. Other were worried that he had not enough strength to defend the country from Akatsuki, let alone other hostile shinobi villages. Overall, the Kazekage's power base did not wane, and Gaara remained in power, training heavily for his next encounter with Akatsuki. The only positive effects of this encounter were a strengthening of the ties between Konoha and Suna, due to Sakura's ministrations.

However, the real bombshell came a year into the war. Jiraiya of the Sannin reported that Uchiha Itachi had been killed on the Fire Country border by an unknown assailant or assailants. Konoha operatives had found what was left of Hoshigaki Kisame at the site of some massive explosion that fried the trees and foliage for fifty meters in all directions. They had found small pieces of Kisame and clothes soaked with Itachi's blood. The explosion, whatever it was, vaporized all other evidence. When Itachi and Kisame both did not reemerge and two new members joined Akatsuki, replacing them, the duo was taken off the bingo book. How Sasuke took the news of his brother's death no one knew, until word came that he had fought Orochimaru to a standstill and left for parts unknown. Sakura had maintained a faint hope that he would return to Konoha, but when he did not, she had sworn that if she found him she would make him answer for his betrayal of Naruto.

When war broke out, Sakura was assigned as a medic ninja to two squads who went on missions together. She would travel with them as the 9th member of the teams. Because of the nature of her position as an add-on and because of her past experiences with teammates she was not able to connect as deeply with her new squad mates as she had with team 7. Sakura held a deep respect for her team's leader, an older jounin named Mikawa Tanimoto, but her abilities and attitude set her apart from the other shinobi. Also, her position as the Godaime Hokage's apprentice gave her a certain celebrity that set her at a distance from the members of her group. She was determined to protect them and them her, but they did not fit together as perfectly as team 7 seemed to have. Since the beginning of the war, Sakura and her teammates had been in constant combat action against enemy forces, but because of Sakura's excellent medical prowess they had never lost a shinobi in their group. Because of their lack of fatalities, their group had been comically called "Lucky Fortune". Their "Fortune" had run out at Owari Bridge.

Sakura's team has been assigned the mission of recapturing and destroying Owari Bridge so that Rock forces could not move their supplies into the Waterfall Country via that route. Owari Bridge was located on the border of the Country of Rock and the Country of Waterfall. Though in enemy territory, the mission had been assumed to be doable, with only one four-man team of Rock shinobi guarding the bridge. What Konoha Intelligence failed to detect was that this one team of Rock shinobi was handpicked and commanded by Obata Hiro, chosen successor to the current Tsuchikage, a legendary shinobi in his own right, and as deadly and vicious as any Akatsuki member. Tanimoto did not recognize Obata until he had already charged the bridge throwing shurikens as a distraction so the other eight members of his team could surround and eliminate the enemy team. Tanimoto had only recognized the famous Rock ninja for a split second before two giant hands of earth and stone came out of the ground, wrapped around him, and tore him into two pieces at the waist. There wasn't even time to call out a warning to his subordinates, who on plan, had attacked simultaneously from all directions with explosive tags attached to shurikens. Instantly the three members of Obata's team moved in tandem, creating a formation around their leader, their hands rapidly forming hand seals. As they surrounded their leader facing outward, a dome of stone, created by their jutsu, emerged from the ground and deflected all the explosive shuriken from hitting them. Less than a split second later, before any members of the Leaf shinobi team could react, what seemed to be great spears of crystal several meters in length emerged from the earth and impaled five of Sakura's teammates.

Sakura then knew who she was fighting. Morbid tales were told of Obata Hiro and his crystal jutsu that few survived against. In an act of desperation, Sakura threw a kunai with a rope attached to it into a nearby tree and pulled herself to safety in midair. It barely saved her life. Two crystal spears flashed into the position she had just occupied. Had she not pulled her desperate midair maneuver she would have been run through by the spear. As it was, she escaped the impalement, but the spears left intermediate cuts on both her thigh and arm. Her comrades who had been skewered fared less well. They groped the spike that had pierced their now convulsing chests in shock, but shortly their hands fell to their sides as if the strings that had held them up were suddenly cut by some deranged puppeteer of fate.

Sakura's two surviving companions landed near the crystal-studded dome of stone, but before they could find a way to assault the wall, the stone barrier burst with tremendous force, sending stone masses outward at something approaching terminal velocity. Sakura remembered seeing one of her comrades being hit it the face. The small boulder crushed his face to a pulp, killing him instantly by driving bone splinters into his brain even as it deformed his face. Sakura looked to see the fate of her last comrade, but she, suspended in midair, was not able to dodge the mass of stone that suddenly slammed into her solar plexus. The blow made her let go of her lifeline that had saved her and she fell into the raging river below. Sakura fell unconscious as she hit the water, stunned.

Hours later Sakura had come awake, miraculously finding herself alive she tried to drag herself out of the river, whose flow had slowed and had allowed her to be caught on a rock. She succeeded in dragging herself out of the river's flow, but could not stand or even sit. Checking herself, she believed she had broken her arm, as well as broken or fractured at least five ribs, she couldn't tell. Soon she passed out from exhaustion and the pain. Not long after, a tall figure came by the riverbank and bent over the unconscious girl…..

Sakura woke face up. She lay on a futon in the middle of a room. It was early morning, just after dawn. "Where am I?" she asked to the air.

"You are safe." a voice replied.

* * *

Thank you to all of those who reviewed. Please continue to do so in the future. Special thanks to Advent Greiver and HotaruZala.

Midterms consume my life, will update in two weeks.

-Commedia


	3. Chapter 3: Meetings

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.

Warning: In upcoming chapters I will have OC's. Also many other characters will be OOC. Many more characters will die.

If you should disapprove of my OC's, or my OOC's, or the carnage they inflict, please tell me why. Thank you, please enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 3

**Meetings**

Sakura woke face up. She lay on a futon in the middle of a room. It was early morning, just after dawn. "Where am I?" she asked to the air. 

"_You are safe." a voice replied._

Sakura turned her head slowly. A man sat next to her cross-legged, calm, unthreatening. He was dressed simply, though he was no peasant. He wore a simple black shirt under what looked like a casual men's kimono, draped loosely over him as not to be stifling. The room she lay in the center of was similar; Simple, but elegant in its simplicity.

"How are you feeling?" the man asked and she was compelled to look into his face to answer. What she saw took her breath away. The man she gazed upon was handsome, almost terrifyingly so. His hair was a light golden color, cut long so that it reached to the back of his neck and on either side of his face; it was spiky but contained. His high cheekbones gave his face a softness that was almost feline, but not so. But what shocked her most were his eyes. They were an electric blue, so deep and penetrating that each gaze felt like the blade of a knife carving a wedge into her soul. She was so shocked by him that she didn't respond immediately, she just stared at him, absorbed by his presence.

Sakura's nonexistent reply and simultaneous staring seemed to worry the man and he placed his hand on her forehead with a puzzled expression as he checked for some kind of fever. Sakura was surprised so much by his casual touching of her that she blurted out rather hastily, "Who are you? Why are you touching me?"

He looked taken aback at her outburst and quickly pulled his hand back. He then fixed her with what seemed to be a benign stare and answered almost shyly, "I'm sorry, I'm the one who has been ministering to your wounds and I thought…." He paused, as if not sure how to finish the statement.

Sakura's eyes widened as she took in the significance of that statement. She reddened in shame at her berating of who was most likely her savior. The man seemed to notice her discomfort and spoke first. "I was walking in the woods near here when I found you by the stream looking as if you had crawled out of it and fainted. When I checked, you were unconscious and had enough injuries to make a prizefighter jealous." He said slowly.

Sakura winced. "How bad am I?"

"Bad." He replied. "When I got you back here, I tried to take care of all your wounds. Aside from the nasty cuts on your arm and thigh, you broke your forearm cleanly, as well as fracturing your wrist. Your ribs were worse; two were broken and three others were fractured. Your entire chest is, for all intents and purposes, one giant bruise."

The man waited before addressing her again, as if to give her time to process his statement. "The only good news out of all of this is that all your wounds are healing cleanly. Slowly, but cleanly if treated well. The four days that you slept must have done you some good."

Sakura winced again. _Damn, I'm worse off than I thought. I won't be able to use healing jutsu for at least a month, until my wrist heals. And if what he said about my chest is true, I won't want to move for at least that long. Four days? Damn. I have no way to contact sensei either. I don't know where I am. I don't know if I'm safe. I don't even know who this guy is. I need some answers._

"What's your name?" Sakura asked.

"I am called Rien. Kuikichi Rien."

* * *

Tsunade was in a fury. She was appalled that their intelligence had failed to discover that Obata Hiro was at Owari Bridge and even more disgusted with herself for sending Sakura's team in blindly like that. Sakura's team had failed to report in a week ago and they were all listed as M.I.A. "It wasn't your fault, there was nothing that you could have done Tsunade-sama." Shizune said as she tried to placate her master into calmness. 

Shizune's words did little good as Tsunade tried to cope with the possibility of losing someone who had become close to her. Like Nawaki. Like Dan. Like Naruto.

* * *

"May I ask your name?" Rien asked Sakura. 

Sakura debated with herself whether to provide a fake name, but since she was not part of one of the major shinobi families and her last name was not widely known, she decided on the truth. "My name is Haruno Sakura. Thank you for aiding me. I do not know if I would have survived if not for your assistance. You have my gratitude."

"That's not necessary." Rien replied. "And as a resident of the Country of Fire, why shouldn't I help one of our shinobi?"

Sakura stared at him, looking for any signs of duplicity. "I'm in the Country of Fire?"

"Yes, we're on the border. You're in my home on the slopes of Mt. Toshin. My family owns the Inn that's below us."

Sakura could see no duplicity in his eyes or face. _So that means I drifted all the way to the border? I'm surprised I survived that long._

"By your injuries, might I assume you were in a battle?"

Sakura froze. It had been obvious how he knew she was a shinobi, normal folks don't carry around weapons and medical gear or headbands inscribed with the Leaf's insignia. Even so, she was reluctant to disclose details to some stranger.

Rien seemed to notice her discomfort. Rising slowly, he offered her food and drink. Sakura accepted gratefully, for she was in need of sustenance and needed time alone to think.

_Okay, let's think of my options. Option A: get up and find a way to return to Konoha. I don't think I can sit up, let alone get to Konoha. Scratch option A. Option B: Get a message to Konoha. I don't know if I can trust Rien yet. I don't know how to send a message any other way than through him. He may have saved me, but I don't know him well enough to make a judgment call. Scratch option B. Option C:_ _heal, and then when I'm well enough, get back to Konoha. No other choice. Option C it is._

_Next problem: Rien. I don't know if I can trust him. If he wanted me dead, he would have done it already. If he wanted to interrogate me, this is too elaborate a setup. I would have woken up in an interrogation room strapped to a chair. So who is he? If he is not a shinobi or agent of some kind, what does that make him? Did he really just come across me by accident? He said his family owns the inn near here. Not they run it, they own it. That might indicate that his family is somewhat wealthy. I know the area that he says I'm in now, but I've never been in the area long, I just passed through. So I have to trust him with my welfare. At least for now anyways._

Rien came back with a tray which held tea, water and what smelled like miso soup. He placed the tray down next to her futon and kneeled down next to her. "Please excuse me." He asked as he placed a hand under her back and, supporting her neck, lifted her gently into a sitting position. He did it so gently and caringly Sakura didn't mind in the slightest. When he sat her up, Sakura noticed she was only wearing a loose kimono, with most of her torso covered in bandages and her arm in a sling. Sakura reddened when she saw her rather indiscreet attire. She stared at Rien, fiercely demanding an explanation with her eyes and her words. He stared right back, his eyes piercing her as he explained that it made it easier for her bandages to be changed when she wore loose clothing. Even though he sounded nothing but professional as he said that, Sakura still tugged her kimono tight around herself with her good arm. She asked him what happened to her clothes and her pouch containing her shuriken and medical supplies. Rien told her that the clothes she was found in were little more than tatters of cloth now, and he had not found her pouch. It had probably been washed away by the river. Sakura's face fell at the loss of her bag and she hugged herself protectively with her one good arm. Thankfully, Rien did not decide to pry.

He brought the cup containing water to her lips and she drank slowly, carefully. The water felt glorious to her, the first sustenance she had had in days. When he fed her the miso soup, he blew on it so Sakura could enjoy it without scalding her tongue. By the end of the meal, watching how he seemed to take such care for her, Sakura was convinced that he was not an enemy trying to harm her in any way. She began to warm to him, trusting him in a way she hadn't done with anyone for years. Sakura caught herself staring into his eyes, viewing the compassion deep within. Within his eyes Sakura saw the warmth and compassion at the surface, but when she looked deeper, there was burnished steel, terrible in its beauty. This unexpected glimpse into his soul both frightened and exited her. She noticed the way her emotions responded and rebuked herself for her manner. _I can't feel this way, not yet._ That's what she told herself even as she fell asleep once again in Rien's arms.

Rien was surprised when Sakura fell asleep in his arms. He set her down gently and tucked her into the blankets, making sure she was comfortable. As he finished tucking her in, he gazed at her face. She was so beautiful. The exhaustion and privation she had suffered seemed to diminish nothing from her beauty. Not in his eyes. Softly, he cupped her cheek with his hand. "Sleep well, my….." He did not finish the sentence aloud.

Rien left as silent as a whisper. He walked out and slid the door closed. He walked to the front veranda and stared to the east. The sun was still dawning. As he stood there, a black shadow emerged soundlessly from under a tree to confront him. The shadow spoke; **"She serves as an assistant and apprentice to the Hokage as well as a combat medic for the last two years. She and her squads ran up against Obata on her last mission and all her teammates were killed. Konoha has listed her as M.I.A. and will probably keep her on there until the war ends and the deaths confirmed. She could become a liability if she discovers anything about us." **

Rien did not answer. He looked at the table where Sakura's bag had been emptied and stared at the two objects he had removed earlier. Two Konoha forehead protectors, with one scratched across the Leaf symbol cleanly.

* * *

Many thanks to all those who review my story. Please continue to do so. R&R! 

My apologies for the long update. Midterms still consume my life, so most likely no new chapter till second week of November. Thank you for your patience.

-Commedia


	4. Chapter 4: Jiya

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

To all my readers: let me clarify something. This is not a Sakura-centric fic. This an arc of a story told from Sakura's perspective. It turned out oddly _fluffy_. It goes straight back to grisly by chapter 7 or 8. At that time, other characters will rise to prominence.

Thank you, and please enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 4

**Jiyâ**

When Sakura finally awoke, she discovered her bandages had been changed while she slept. She wondered who had done it, then blushed at the thought of Rien taking off her clothes and changing them. _Why the HELL am I blushing?_ Sakura chastised herself for her traitorous thoughts as she attempted to sit up. After much difficulty, the pain making it impossible to sit up as she normally would, she managed it. As she sat up she saw the three things that had been placed next to her bed. There was a cup of water, a small brass bell, and a piece of paper with writing on it. The writing turned out to be a note from Rien.

_Haruno-san,_

_If you're reading this, then I'm not there and I apologize for not being able to answer any of the questions you must want answered. If your wounds are causing you trouble or if you need something, please ring the bell. The bell will call someone that can assist you. I'll be back before noon, so please try to rest as much as possible and I will answer all of the questions that you put to me. I would ask you not to leave the room without help, as you might overestimate your strength and worsen your condition. I apologize for trying your patience so much._

_-Rien_

Sakura put down the note and contemplated Rien's words. After briefly inspecting her wounds and judging them to be healing cleanly, she drank the water provided for her and looked out the window. The sun hovered in a late morning position. Sakura decided to wait for Rien. _If he's not here by noon, I'll ring the bell so I can get some food._

However, within ten minutes of her awakening Rien appeared in the doorway. When he saw her sitting up, he gave her a wide smile that somehow warmed her from head to heels. Sakura was vaguely wondering why his smiling had such an effect on her when Rien spoke to her. "I'm glad to see you up so soon. When you passed out in my arms from exhaustion, I was worried that you had overstrained yourself."

Sakura colored at the mental image of her sleeping in Rien's arms. She mastered herself and asked, "May I have something to eat? I'm starving."

Rien's smile grew wider. "Do you feel well enough to stand up?"

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. She was dying to get out of that bed. Rien helped her to her feet for the first time in days. Sakura tried to walk to the room's door by herself, but she began to stumble because of the pain. Rien quickly offered her his arm, and she accepted gratefully. She followed Rien's lead to the veranda right outside of her door. Sakura sat down slowly into one of the chairs at the circular veranda table. After making sure she was comfortable, Rien ran into a room at the end of the veranda and brought out a tray of foods. There was soup, a teapot, and some small, light foods that Sakura recognized as good victuals for recovering patients. He placed the food on the veranda table and sat down near her. As he began to serve her, she addressed him. "Kuikichi-san, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why did you save me, bring me back to your house, and even care for me?" She watched his face, looking for some tell that she should mistrust him.

Rien fixed Sakura with a stare that pierced like a knife. She didn't think she would ever be able to meet those serious eyes without flinching. "My name is Rien." He said the words bluntly, but softened them with an almost mischievous half smile that belied his words.

Sakura was momentarily blindsided by this new playful, almost mischievous side of himself that he had just revealed to her. She stared at the man in front of her for a few moments, too shocked to reply. She finally composed herself and responded to him. "**Rien**… why did you save me, bring me back to your house, and even care for me? Most people, even in the Country of Fire, would fear a shinobi too much to approach them, let alone treat them. Why?"

Rien gave her a measuring glance before answering. "Haruno-san, I had many…" He was cut off by Sakura.

"My name is Sakura." She echoed his earlier comment, trying her best to duplicate his roguish smile.

Rien's eyes widened in shock for a moment, and then his face opened up into a truly joyful smile that screamed of internal laughter. Her heart rose at the sight of his smile even as she pondered how Rien had awakened her rebellious side; a side she had thought rendered dormant all these years. _**"You already call him "Rien" in your head."**_Some traitorous part of her thoughts whispered. She willed her inner self to shut up, but her plea went unheeded.

"_**It's bad to lie to yourself, you know."**_ Her inner self observed. _**"He's kind, gentle, obviously intelligent, and he intrigues you something fierce, girl."**_

_Okay, you can shut up now. I really don't need this now._

As Sakura finished grappling with herself, Rien opened his mouth to reply. **"He saved you because he's an obscenely nice person!" **A new voice near bellowed. Rien sat up straight with an alacrity that surprised Sakura and stared over her shoulder. Sakura turned around in her chair and saw the owner of the roaring voice walking up the veranda steps.

**.xXxXx.**

Tsunade watched Kakashi leave her office in a barely perceptible but horribly obvious cold rage. Tsunade had sent him and a team of ANBU to investigate Owari Bridge and discover if possible what happened to Sakura's team. Kakashi had found a corpse pile of Leaf shinobi, but as far as they could tell, Sakura was not one of the cadavers. He had returned to Konoha with the news that Sakura's body was yet to be discovered. The ANBU commander had offered to lead a search of the area with an Inuzuka tracking squad as backup, but Tsunade had refused him on the grounds that a prolonged search for a lost shinobi on enemy territory was practically suicide. She had told Kakashi thus even though she hated herself for saying so, and explained that if Sakura was alive, she would return to Konoha or one of its outposts to report in, and most likely than not, receive medical treatment. As the Godaime Hokage, she could not risk the lives of so many of her shinobi only for the sake of one. Even if that one shinobi was her beloved apprentice. She could see that Kakashi understood that, but it didn't stop him from despising himself for his helplessness yet again. She could understand the sentiment very well. She despised herself as well.

Tsunade began to remember the day after Naruto was reported dead. _After a sleepless night, she had set Sakura to reading medical texts to prepare for her training. Late that evening, Jiraya had walked through her office door. His eyes were strangely empty and dried blood covered his hands and clothes. Tsunade immediately thought he was injured, and nearly vaulted her desk in her haste to check him. He shrugged her off with a wave. "None of this blood is mine." He assured her._

"_What the Hell happened?" Tsunade had shouted back at him._

_Jiraya walked deeper into her office and half-sat, half-collapsed into one of the chairs. "Yesterday my intelligence network discovered a secret Sound Village enclave inside the borders of the Country of Fire. I was on my way to tell you the location so we could mount a strike to drive them out of our territory when word from my network reached me about Naruto." Jiraya's head slumped as if his head was too heavy to stay up. "I went to the Sound Village enclave before dawn. I was alone. There were at least thirty-five jounin level shinobi there. It took me less than seven minutes to turn them all into ground meat with my bare hands."_

_Tsunade didn't know what to be more shocked by; Jiraya losing his temper like that or Jiraya massacring thirty-five jounin. She examined his body. "You don't have a scratch on you. Your clothes aren't even ripped. What the hell kind of attack did you use to get that much blood…" She stopped, memories of an old battle creeping up on her. Redstone Valley. Jiraya losing control. The day she realized that neither she nor Orochimaru was the most fearsome or the most violent of the Sannin. _

_Tsunade looked up at Jiraya, who met her terrified eyes. "You used the white chakra, didn't you?" _

_The look in Jiraya's eyes was answer enough. "You know how dangerous it is to use your kekkai genkai without any way to control it!" She screamed at him. "Your brother was the last of your line that could control the white chakra! When you unleashed it at Redstone, Sakumo had to beat you to an inch of your life to stop you from killing US! What possessed you to activate the power you sealed yourself off from twenty-five years ago?"_

_Jiraya stared back at her. "Greif and shame for the most part."_

"_There was nothing you could have done to prevent Naruto's death and you know it. If anyone's to blame it's me, because I sent him on that mission." Tsunade argued fiercely. _

_Jiraya turned away from her and looked at the still raining sky through the window. "I failed Naruto."_

"_No, you didn't."_

"_I failed Minato. He chose to die to save the village and left his son in our care."_

"_We would have had to let him fight on his own someday. We couldn't have protected Naruto forever, no more so than you could have protected Minato"_

"_I was training him to become Hokage. That's what his father would have wanted of me." Tsunade couldn't find an answer to that. Jiraya held his face in his hands. "I just don't know what to do anymore." He released._

"_Neither do I." Muttered Tsunade as she fell into her chair._

_The two great Sannin looked at each other and began to laugh. Not out of anything even close to humor, but at their own helplessness._

Tsunade did not want to feel that helpless ever again. She had experienced it far too many times already.

**.xXxXx.**

"**He saved you because he's an obscenely nice person!" **a voice roared.

Sakura turned to see the man walking up onto the veranda. He was old, at least sixty, but he was tall and seemed to radiate the energy of a man half his age. His face had been weathered by age and hardships, but Sakura could still see remnants of the sharp features he must have had in his youth. His hair, more silver than white or grey, was pulled back into a tail, giving him a severe countenance; but his grey eyes and smiling lips radiated festive laughter. Rien's expression at seeing the newcomer radiated several palpable emotions; annoyance, exasperation, but a little amusement was hidden there as well. Rien raised a hand in the general direction of the new arrival and addressed Sakura. "Might I introduce my grandfather, the owner of the inn below us and the import/export business that we run through it."

Rien's grandfather smiled as Rien introduced him. "Just call me Jiyâ, everyone does." The older man sauntered up to the veranda table and took a seat. "So you're the girl I've been hearing about ever since I came back this morning. It's nice to finally meet you…..Sakura-chan was it?"

Sakura inclined her head to Jiyâ and then met his eyes as she addressed him. "Thank you very much for your hospitality and I hope my presence is not an inconvenience to you in any way."

"Polite and beautiful, it's no wonder our Rien is so engaged by you." Sakura blushed at the older man's statement and Jiyâ laughed. "Speaking of my grandson, he needs to get back to the main offices right now." Sakura, still recovering from Jiyâ's remark glanced over at Rien, whose eyes had narrowed ever so slightly at Jiyâ's words. Rien began to argue. "I really think whatever it is can wait until after I have answered any of Sakura's questions like I promised her I would."

Jiyâ responded to the younger man by saying, "I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't urgent. Jast came back with some information about that Kumogakure broker that you need to hear **now**."

Something flashed across Rien's eyes after Jiyâ was done speaking, but Sakura couldn't decipher what his thoughts were. Rien hesitated for a moment, clearly conflicted, and then began apologizing profusely to Sakura. Sakura accepted his apologies and told him to go do his work. As Rien walked away reluctantly, Sakura wondered what else she had inadvertently done to inconvenience him. _I can't impose on him more than I already have. I really am grateful for what Rien has done for me, I can't ask him to put off his work for me as well._ It was then that Sakura noticed something strange about Rien's walk. He hid it well; only a trained medic like Sakura could have seen the slight twist in his walk that seemed to be the only tell of some injury that was causing him pain. The medic within Sakura immediately began to hypothesize on what his wound could be, but could not identify the source of the problem without further observation.

After Rien disappeared down the path from the house, Jiyâ rounded on her like an old lion. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've seen him smile at someone like that?"

Sakura, shocked out of her thoughts by the sudden inquiry, shook her head. Jiyâ leaned closer to her, as if to whisper something secret, but looking like a hunting cat all the same. "He hasn't smiled like that since I took him in, since he was twelve years old. He's twenty-two now. It's a real shock to the system. He's probably spent the better part of this last week watching you, did you realize that? Probably the only time he's left this house was when I dragged him down to the main offices at the inn this morning. He had left a great amount of the nonessential work undone."

Sakura sat there and listened, going from being discomfited as to Rien's devoted caring of her, to being ashamed at how she had deprived Rien from completing his work because of his ministrations to her. Jiyâ noticed the change in her face. "Don't blame yourself; it was Rien's choice to stay by your side. I think it did more good than harm anyway, this is the happiest mood I've seen him in years."

Slightly mollified, Sakura began asking Jiyâ questions about Rien. "Why did you take him in, Jiyâ-san? And why has he not been so happy all these years?"

Jiyâ smiled sadly. "Worried about him, are you now?" Before Sakura could protest, Jiyâ continued. "It's too long a story for now, and not one you'll wring out of me while I'm sober. But I'll give you the bare bones." Jiyâ paused for a moment, as if steadying himself. "Both of Rien's parents are dead. Before I could take him in, he went through a really rough period. And just before he came here, he was brutally betrayed by someone he cared about. That left its mark on him. He lost a lot of his trust in people that day. He's been slowly recovering, but it's one of two wounds he's picked up that just won't seem to completely leave him."

Jiyâ slumped a little in his chair as he finished his recounting. Sakura was both saddened and curious. "One of **two** wounds?" she asked.

Jiyâ's head snapped up in realization that he had let something slip. He swore violently, making Sakura jump. The older man looked at Sakura half pleadingly. "Don't tell him I said that. He really hates when people talk about those. It makes him uncomfortable when people know he has weak points. He believes a man in his position can't afford to have them, at least visibly."

Sakura apologized and promised to not bring up the subject again. However, she still remained curious of what Rien's second wound was.

Sakura and Jiyâ finished the lunch without much more conversation. After they had finished, Jiyâ helped her back to her room where Sakura had found a selection of books piled beside her bed for her to read at her convenience. Jiyâ explained to Sakura that he would keep Rien working all day and that they would both join her for dinner. Sakura lay down in her bed and began to read a volume of some medical journal.

Jiyâ walked down to the offices where Jast was reporting to Rien, who sat at a desk attempting to file a mess of papers. As he walked in, Rien rounded on him. "What do you think of her?" Rien asked.

Jiyâ answered him. "She's intelligent, observant, and empathetic, all good qualities for a medic nin. That old woman still has a good eye for apprentices even after all these years." Jiyâ shook his head. "But she wouldn't join us, not yet anyway. Medic ninja usually aren't suited for our kind of work. They either heal or support by attacking in a relatively straightforward manner. You won't find many medic ninja who can perform assassinations. You also won't find many people who want to be treated by a doctor who also assassinates people."

Rien sighed. "She hasn't gone through the necessary experiences to join us either. She hopefully never will." Rien began putting papers away in shelves.

A voice spoke out of the shadows in the corner of the room, "**It'll be at least a month before she recovers enough to leave. Would we be able to gather information about the Hokage from her?**"

"No" Rien replied. "Her not suspecting us would be more valuable than any information we might obtain."

Rien looked at both Jast and the owner of the voice. "She worked as the Hokage's assistant so she probably had access to missing-nin files. The both of you will stay out of her sight; it would be immeasurably bad if she was able to recognize either of you." Rien directed his comment toward the corner of the room. "You are dismissed." Both the shadow and Jast left in silence.

After they had left, Rien addressed Jiyâ. "I need you to keep a careful eye on Sakura. Sakura was trained by Tsunade and Kakashi; two of the maybe five people still living whom could identify both you and me on sight. She needs to have absolutely no suspicion about who we are. Watch her as closely as you can."

Jiyâ nodded his agreement and compliance and left Rien to his work. He walked to the kitchens to order the cooks to prepare a large dinner and send it up to their residence on the hill. On his way back up to the house, he looked back at where the offices were in the inn. _I can only hope by the end of the month, Sakura might yet heal both of his wounds._

_

* * *

_

Thanks to all those who reviewed. Please continue to do so.

The next chaper will be up after thanksgiving. It will contain major plot development and a rather _interesting _rendez-vous.


	5. Chapter 5: Of Scars and Steam

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.

Thanks to all who reviewed.

And so begins the climax of the first arc of my story. Please enjoy.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5**

**Of Scars and Steam**

Two weeks passed without major incident and Sakura's wounds had begun to heal. The cuts on her thigh and arm had sealed without any infection, and the bruises that had turned her chest into purple and yellow motley had faded. Sakura's wrist, ribs and forearm however, were still a constant source of pain for her. Every morning, she struggled to sit up in spite of the pain. Sakura figured that when her wrist healed completely, she would be able to perform medical jutsu on her ribs that would speed her healing by weeks. When she was finally healed, she could return to Konoha.

And therein lay the problem. Sakura, while eager to heal, began to dread the day she would have to leave. Every day, Rien would be with her for as long as he could. They would speak for hours, Sakura speaking of her life as a medic and how she had learned to treat wounds of every kind, and Rien speaking of the trials and tribulations that came with running a complicated business. Sakura was surprised to learn how much risk was put into each trade endeavor, especially during wartime. Rien explained to her that essential goods were far more valuable when the country that supplied them closed off its trade. With the right contacts in many countries, one could move goods secretly and in the best possible case could turn a five thousand percent profit. Rien revealed under much prodding the story of how Jiyâ had managed to sneak a cargo of precious gemstones out of Rock Country during the last Shinobi War twenty years ago. According to Jiyâ, who came by halfway through the story and promptly whacked Rien over the head for telling the story without him, the then middle-aged man had moved his cargo right across the border during the middle of the day, while Konoha and Iwa Nin tore each other to pieces not a mile away.

As the weeks passed, Sakura started to realize what both of them meant to her. When she had completed her training with Tsunade, Sakura had bought an apartment and moved out of her parents' house. She had too many memories of crying herself to sleep for her to ever be comfortable at home again. Her apartment was a lonely thing, she would usually stay at the hospital working late whenever she was in Konoha and when she came there to sleep she would usually pass out the second she hit the sheets. Sakura used it like a stopover to keep her clothes and a place to sleep and shower. When Sakura would return from her missions she would spend most of her time either working at the hospital or acting as an adjunct to Tsunade. The life that poured through the house that she had come to feel such affection for evoked such feelings and tenderness within her. It made it hard for her to believe that she had been able to live so long in that dead stick of an apartment she kept. It felt as if color was being returned to her world after years of being colorblind. The blue of the sky from the veranda, the warm gold of the wooden floor, they seemed like more than just colors of a pallet to her new eyes. Each color held a memory, each memory a feeling of warmth. She wondered how she had lived without this warmth that she had thought had left her on that fateful day.

By the end of two weeks Sakura had realized she had become addicted to the security she felt when she was around Rien. It was not a physical security, he was obviously no shinobi, it was how she felt she could open up to him without fear of being scattered like leaves in the wind. His mere presence was like a pair of large warm arms encircling her like a blanket, no harm could be done to her while she molded herself into his embrace. His physical presence however, was like an open flame to her. Every instinct in her flesh screamed for her to mold herself into his embrace bodily as she did emotionally. Her rational mind rejected those impulses on reasons that seemed to become more flimsy each time she was tested. She had tried not to become so close to him, but she might have tried to stop time from turning for all the good it did her.

.xxxxx.

That evening, when Sakura had walked out of her room, Jiyâ spoke to her. "Hey, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned around to face him. "Yes Jiyâ-san?"

"Now that your cuts have finally healed, you might want to use the hot springs out back, there's nobody using it right now."

Sakura's face brightened, she loved hot springs. "That sounds really nice right about now, I'll be there presently. Thank you so much, again."

Jiyâ's face took on a note of exasperation. "You really need to stop thanking me. _Especially this time._" The latter he muttered under his breath. Sakura didn't really know how to take that so she bowed slightly, careful of her ribs and walked to where she knew the spring to be. Jiyâ watched Sakura walk away with a slight smirk that hid a secret plot.

When Sakura got to the changing room that opened up into the spring, she took off her clothes, still struggling with using only one arm. She picked up a small washing towel and brought it into the bath area with her. Sakura walked up to the tree-enclosed large circular stone dip with the large boulder in the center that made up the natural hot spring. The copious amounts of steam that rose from the bath exhaled into the moonlit night, covering the entire bath in a hot mist that immediately began to take the ache away from her remaining injuries. Sakura stretched out her foot to test the water…and Rien stepped out from behind the boulder.

**.xXxXx.**

Jiyâ almost felt guilty as he removed the drying towels and Sakura's clothes from the spring's anteroom. He assuaged his guilt by remembering how he'd caught the two of them staring at each other so many times over the past two weeks. He also remembered the only time he'd ever seen Rien truly weak.

He had not told Rien what he planned, and he would most likely be chastised for this later. It was also likely that the chastisement would involve something either sharp or heavy, knowing his luck. However, when he heard a surprised female voice give out a yelp of shock, he scampered off with his pilfered garments, praying silently that his plan would work.

**.xXxXx.**

Rien walked out from behind the boulder in the center of the hot spring. Sakura stared at him, momentarily transfixed by how his golden hair seemed paler in the moonlight and his eyes, wide with surprise gave off a shimmer she had not seen the day she and he had met. Sakura was amazed by his body. She had never seen any more of his skin but his hands and face. Below his neck and along his arms, his muscles were distinct and wiry, built for flexibility more than brute strength, and there seemed to be not an ounce of fat on him. Her disloyal eyes started to travel down his abdomen and her breath caught in her throat in horror.

Beginning at his right hip and curving up over his abdominal muscles was a set of three enormous wounds that looked as if some gigantic beast had scraped three claws across his body. Each cut was a little over an inch wide and near symmetrical. More than that, the gashes looked like they hadn't closed at all; it looked as if he could have been torn apart not ten minutes ago, though no blood leaked from the tears in his flesh. The sound of Rien's breath exhaling brought her back to herself and Sakura realized that she'd been standing in front of him completely naked for about seven seconds. Sakura yelped in surprise and practically dove behind another rock that lay around the edge of the spring, mind spinning catastrophically.

Rien's mind wasn't in much better shape than hers was. His head whirled as he stood rock-still and tried to control himself. _Holy…pink…wow. Stop that! Calm down! Must...focus…maintain control…over self…Okay. Alright, you will maintain a poker face. You will not think about what you just witnessed. When you speak you will do so in a calm and controlled manner. You will not think about how soft her skin is, or how her silky curves hug her body, or how her………GODDAMMIT!!!! Okay, let's try that again. You WILL maintain a poker face. You ABSOLUTLY WILL NOT think about what you just witnessed. When you speak you WILL do so in a calm and collected manner. Easier thought than done. _

Rien gathered his courage and attempted to converse with Sakura. "Sakura? Are you alright?" He heard her start behind the rock at his question.

Sakura answered him in a stuttering voice that screamed embarrassment from every syllable. "I'm sorry Rien, your grandfather, I mean Jiyâ-san said that nobody was in here and I just….ohhh…." she ended with a groan of mortification at her own predicament.

Rien breathed out a sigh, having figured out the culprit behind this incident. He also was pretty sure he knew what would happen next. Idly wondering what the old man had planned in his head, he made a mental note to rip open the bastard's skull later and find out firsthand.

.xxxxx.

Sakura was humiliated that he had seen her like that. And she was even more embarrassed at herself for staring at him so long. She was a trained combat medic, veteran of dozens of fierce battles, and she couldn't believe she had frozen up for that long. Determined to preserve what was left of her dignity, Sakura prepared to hurl herself toward the hot spring's anteroom and escape the extremely awkward situation. "I-I'll let you bathe…I'm sorry for interrupting you, I'll just get my clothes and leave quickly." Sakura spoke very quickly, as if speaking faster would lessen the embarrassment. But before she could run, Rien spoke.

"Did you see my clothes in the anteroom?" Rien asked quietly.

Sakura stopped her impending rush and thought for a moment. "No." she answered finally. "I didn't see any other sets of clothing besides my own."

Sakura heard Rien make a noise that was half sigh and half growl. "Then don't bother leaving. Your clothes are gone by now."

"What?" Sakura blanched and froze.

"Jiyâ." Rien spoke as if he were describing some aggravating boil on his butt. "This is a setup."

"Setup?" Sakura repeated, confused.

"The old bastard does this kind of stuff just to aggravate me. He loves putting me in these kinds of…uncomfortable situations. He'll either just get bored and return the clothes, or I'll just walk out, beat him with something and make him return the clothes. Until I have to do that, you should relax in the bath. You can sit on the other side of the rock, I won't look."

With that Sakura heard the small splash of Rien re-entering the water. She risked peeking out from her hiding place, and saw no sign of him. Sakura stepped tentatively toward the bath and slid into the water soundlessly.

As she sat there Sakura wondered about her nervousness at seeing his naked body. She was a medic ninja and had performed surgery with her mentor countless times. She had seen male patients naked before and had not been affected like this. Her conduct had been at the very least, reprehensible. Tsunade would have beaten her with a full bedpan if she had acted like that at the hospital. Maybe it was because he was a civilian. And not just a civilian of Konoha village like her parents, but a civilian not accustomed to ninja in general. Ninja relationships were guided by a strict set of rules, but Rien and the situation she was in did not seem to fit within any of the categories that she knew. Without a protocol of some kind to guide her, Sakura didn't have a clear code of conduct she could follow. And there was no understanding these burgeoning feelings that permeated through her about this place, or this person.

There was silence between the two for many long minutes as they both tried to recover their lost modesty and composure. Rien recovered first. "I'm sorry about all this, if the old man doesn't come back in ten minutes, I'll go and discipline him."

"Why would Jiyâ-san do something like this?" Sakura asked.

"The man is a psychotic." Rien answered. "I haven't the faintest clue why he does things like this, and frankly I don't want to try and explore his thoughts."

After Rien's brusque answer, it was another minute before Sakura spoke again. She asked cautiously, not knowing what his answer might be. "Excuse me Rien, but would it be alright if I asked you about your wound? It looks…bad." Sakura wished she had used a better word, but her mind did not seem able to form the right phrases.

"Wounds, not wound." Rien answered back after a tense minute. His voice betrayed none of his emotions.

"There's more than just the one?" Sakura asked, horrified.

"Yeah, there's another one on my back, starting under my left shoulder." Sakura could only sit in shock as he calmly made the statement.

When did you get these wounds? They look as if you were torn apart earlier this morning!" Sakura demanded of him, professionally concerned now.

Rien didn't answer her for a moment, as if struggling whether or not to tell her. He finally acquiesced. "Nearly seven months ago, I was on a routine job making a deal with a rare books broker in the Cloud country. I was walking across the border back to the Fire country when a huge noise goes off not thirty meters from where I was. Less than a second later, something huge comes out of the trees to the left of me. All I saw was fur, then excruciating pain, then nothing. Given the marks on my body, I would assume it had claws as well. I woke up five days later, here. Not all that different from your situation, except my wounds won't heal."

Sakura could not believe what she had just heard. And he had spoken like it was nothing, let alone his tormentor. Six months without change? _This is impossible, how could the wound not heal, unless… fur….claws….that's it. _"Your wound must be cursed." Sakura said softly.

"What?" Rien exclaimed.

"Your description sounds like either a demon or a kind of summoned creature. Their abilities and characteristics differ greatly from a human's. It's entirely possible that the thing that hurt you was a creature that inflicts cursed wounds. I have heard of cases where those who are injured by demons almost always die of their wounds. They die because the malicious chakra of the demon infects them though their wounds and acts like a disease, preventing them from healing or closing." Sakura spoke clearly and strongly, she was back in her element.

"How likely is it that what you just talked about is what's really affecting me?" Rien sounded curious but rather dejected as he spoke, he didn't seem hopeful that he could be cured. Sakura could only imagine what he'd been through the past six months; the pain alone should have killed him long ago.

"From what I saw and your description of its source, there's a very good chance that it is a malignant chakra of a creature. If it isn't, then whatever's causing this is far beyond my knowledge. I'm really surprised that you lived this long with such a wound, let alone continued to work."

Rien was completely silent, forestalling any answer he would give her. Then he spoke, so quietly that Sakura had to strain to hear him. "So all I have to do is find somebody who could heal this." The silence deepened as both of them fell into their own thoughts.

Sakura was thunderstruck by the man sitting not three feet of rock from her. He was as brave and kind as any person she had ever met. He had survived a wound that would have killed a lesser man in a day and yet he had continued to live for six months through what must have been a living hell. She knew that if he had been born in Konoha village, he would have become a shinobi of unsurpassed renown. Sakura knew then she would do everything in her power to help him as he helped her.

Sakura jumped a little as she heard Rien stand up. She shuffled to the other side of the rock as he walked towards the edge of the spring. "I'll go get Jiyâ before you overheat from the hot spring." He spoke with an almost disinterested air.

Sakura knew it was now or never. She edged back around the rock just enough so that she could see his back. She saw where the first scar began, near where his left kidney was, and she saw the full breadth of his second wound, which ran diagonally from just below his left shoulder to a little past the midpoint of his spine. The second wound on his back was thinner, but was still a horrible mess of three parallel gashes. Her heart caught in her throat, but she bulled past her block and spoke the words she was determined to speak. "I am a first-class medical ninja of Konohagakure village. **I will heal you**."

Rien heard the words as if in a dream. _I will heal you_. Four simple words that promised a respite. He had realized Jiyâ's true purpose in putting the two of them in here tonight. He wasn't supposed to know she was a medic nin, but her personal file, combat history, and medical records had been sitting on his desk for nearly two weeks. Jiyâ would know her abilities and he would definitely set this up, appearing as if just for fun. The true purpose of this planned encounter was hidden under a false shell. The man was much like his more famous brother, too perverted to be allowed, but too smart to be killed. He slowly turned his head about one hundred degrees so that he could see Sakura, shaking with nervousness at his silence and intense regard. He spoke gently to her.

"I have woken up with this pain for nearly half a year. On cold mornings, I have coughed up blood. Please don't give me hope and then take it away." Rien was now staring at her with one steel azure orb. His voice contained a variety of emotions, pain and sadness chief among them, but there was an emotion in the far reaches of those frightening spheres that she couldn't identify.

"**This I swear to you, as a Leaf shinobi and Medical Ninja of Konohagakure village, when I am fully recovered, I will heal your wounds.**" Sakura spoke more forcefully now; she believed in herself; she could speak with the utmost confidence.

Rien, on his way out of the bath, turned around and walked toward Sakura. He stopped less than a foot away from her and looked down into her face. Emerald met azure and the air seemed to crackle with the electricity of their feelings. The two stood up now, gazing so intently at each other that neither noticed their nakedness.

Sakura met his testing eyes with a fierce pride in her skills that she had never felt before. Pride had not mattered to her; she had lost all reason to take satisfaction in her abilities. Now Sakura had a cause to throw every ounce of her into. Her healing had meaning not to Konoha, not to Tsunade, but meaning only to her and the one she healed. In that moment she was not a shinobi of the Leaf or Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura Haruno was only herself. And as herself she decided that she would heal the man who had saved her life, the man who had sheltered her, and the man who had given her life color and enjoyment once more.

Sakura poured these feelings into her gaze and met Rien's eyes with every fiber of strength in her being. Rien saw the reborn strength and knew his eyes would never pierce hers again. She had regained her will for life and would now be able to dominate her destiny once more. Rien watched her for a few more seconds, and then broke the connection that had solidified between them. He turned around and stepped out of the hot spring. Just before he stepped through the door to the anteroom, he took one last look at the beautiful young woman who had finally regained herself. He shut the door to the anteroom, assured that she understood his answer.

"_I'll be waiting."_

**.xXxXx.**

Jiyâ was sitting on a chair in his study reading the latest in his favorite series of novels when the door opened with a slam. Standing in the wake of the door was Rien, standing menacingly with the aura of a vengeful fire god. Adding mystification to this already interesting picture, Rien was conspicuously naked and dripping copious amounts of water onto the floor. Jiyâ, out of mercy and respect for Rien's modesty threw him a towel he had stolen from the hot spring's anteroom. Rien wrapped it around his waist and zeroed in on Jiyâ with a ferocious intensity. "Bath. Return. Clothes. NOW!" Jiyâ, fearing for his life immediately ran down to the anteroom and put Sakura's clothes back where he had taken them from. Jiyâ called an apology through the screen door and quickly went down to the secret meeting room in the basement.

**.xXxXx.**

Later that evening, Rien appeared in the meeting room. He sat down across from Jiyâ and shot him a smoldering gaze that showed the older man that he had not forgotten the earlier incident. Unexpectedly, when he spoke Rien's voice was calm, almost resigned when he finally addressed Jiyâ. "You planned that whole charade in there, didn't you?"

Jiyâ smiled in a way that looked like it would put the most nonviolent person ever to live in an uncontrollable blood rage. Rien settled for clenching his fists so hard they bled. Seeing that Rien's patience was about to snap, Jiyâ decided to answer. "Yup, I sure did! And guess where I got the idea?" He held up the book in his hand and Rien saw the title. It was _Icha Icha Festival_.

Rien's eye began to twitch seeing the familiar cover. "Put your smut book away and answer me. Why did you set this whole thing up?"

"**Because you would not**."

Rien looked to the side of him and saw his shadowy second in command entering the room. "What do you mean I would not?"

His second in command's expression did not change at his comment. "**What I mean is that though you may be proficient at lying and deception, you seem to be unable to even think about taking advantage of your friends or comrades.**"

"You're disparaging me for that?" Rien looked almost indignant.

"**No, it's actually a point in your favor. It means you'll only take advantage of your enemies and never use us wrongly. Creating a situation where you would "accidentally" let Sakura see your wound and taking advantage of her kindness so that she would heal you would be impossible for you. You would judge such a plan as an intolerable insult to you and her, making it absurd for you to even consider it.**"

Rien stared for a long moment at his second in command, mulling over the shadowy figure's logic. Finding no faults in his lieutenant's read of him he sighed, resigning himself to the current situation. He turned back toward Jiyâ. "What now?" he asked.

Jiyâ shrugged. "She heals up, she heals you, she goes back to Konoha, and we begin The Prelude."

Rien looked pensive. "Beginning The Prelude in three weeks might be difficult, I'll need the information on our targets processed and filed before that. I should be combat-ready a week after she heals me, and at one hundred percent within the fortnight."

It was then that Rien noticed that their fourth member had entered the room without him or any of the others noticing. None of the doors or windows had opened. He turned around, facing where Jast stood in the corner. "Jast, I'm going to need you to rate the difficulty level of each target, so we can decide which of us to send. Is that alright?" Jast nodded noncommittally and stared at him with eyes of dull bronze.

Rien looked around at the people who surrounded him. "It's decided then. The operation will begin within the month."

* * *

Please read and review.

It seems I have a system of coming out with a chapter every two weeks. They seem to be getting longer too.

Hopefully I'll be able to update in two weeks, finals approach me with a looming intensity.


End file.
